Sergei Krikalev expected to be in space for just five months after setting off from his home country

An astronaut who found himself stuck in space for almost a year after his country ceased to exist has revealed how it felt to finally return to Earth.

Not many people know what it’s like to have their entire country suddenly become non-existent, but cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev does.

In 1991, Krikalev left Earth on a routine mission to the Mir space station, which was in orbit from 1986 to 2001.

The mission was set to last five months, but things took an unprecedented turn when the world as Krikalev knew it completely changed.

While he was up in the space station, his country – the Soviet Union – dissolved, and Boris Yeltsin became the president of the newly independent Russian state.

The change meant that not only was Krikalev left without a country to return to, but the spaceport and landing area he had intended to use were both now located in the newly independent Kazakhstan.

The mission was set to last five months, but things took an unprecedented turn when the world as Krikalev knew it completely changed.

While he was up in the space station, his country – the Soviet Union – dissolved, and Boris Yeltsin became the president of the newly independent Russian state.

The change meant that not only was Krikalev left without a country to return to, but the spaceport and landing area he had intended to use were both now located in the newly independent Kazakhstan.

He said: “It was a long process and we were getting the news, not all at once, but we heard about the referendum, for example.

“I was doing my job and was more worried about those on the ground – our families and friends – we had everything we needed!”

Krikalev’s mission was extended and he ended up staying in space for a total of 311 days before he finally made his way back down to Earth in March 1992, after deals were struck between America and Russia which allowed for additional funding for missions.

Recalling how he felt about returning to Earth, Krikalev continued: “I think I felt satisfaction that I had done my job, and done it well. The second one was a sort of relief as I had held a huge responsibility for many months.”

Though Krikalev’s mission didn’t quite go to plan, that didn’t stop him from returning to space again in the following years.

Overall, the astronaut logged more than 800 days aboard the International Space Station, Mir space station, Soyuz spacecraft, and the space shuttle.

Looking back on his experiences in an interview with NASA, Krikalev noted the benefit of space as it allowed him to see a world with ‘no borders’.

“You start to understand that in many cases, our separation on Earth is more artificial,” he said. “We are living on the same surface. When you see a forest fire, you see that smoke is going sometimes for hundreds of kilometers. They cross all borders… You start to see that we are more united.”